By
Sajjad Shaukat
The armed forces of Pakistan have broken the
backbone of the Taliban and other militant outfits by the successful military
operation Zarb-e-Azb, which has also been extended to other parts of the
country, including Balochistan. And Pakistan’s intelligence agency, ISI has
broken the network of these terrorist groups by capturing several militants,
while thwarting a number of terror attempts.
Since the government of the Balochistan province
announced general pardon and protection to the Baloch militants as part of
reconciliation process, many insurgents and their leaders have surrendered
their arms and decided to work for the development of Pakistan and the
province, peace has been restored in Balochistan. In these circumstances,
Taliban leaders have moved to Afghanistan from Pakistan.
This fact has also been
verified by a feature story of the Associated Press (AP), under the caption,
“Leaders of the Taliban may have moved to Afghanistan from Pakistan,” Published
on November 26, 2016.
The AP wrote, “After operating out of Pakistan
for more than a decade, the leaders of Afghanistan’s Taliban movement may have
moved back to their homeland to try to build on this year’s gains in the war
and to establish a permanent presence…if confirmed, the move would be a sign of
the Taliban’s confidence in their fight against the US-backed government in
Kabul. It could also be an attempt by the militants to distance themselves from
Pakistan.”
The AP reported, “The Taliban’s leaders have
been based in Pakistani cities, including Quetta, Karachi and Peshawar, since
their rule in Afghanistan was overthrown in the 2001 US invasion after the 9/11
attacks.”
According to this news agency, “Taliban
spokesman Zabihullah Mujahid who said that the leadership shura, or council,
relocated to Afghanistan “some months ago,” although he would not say to
where…one Taliban official said that the shura had moved to southern Helmand
province, which the insurgents consider to be part of their heartland and where
most of the opium that funds their operations is produced. The official refused
to be identified because of security reasons…other Taliban sources said the
justice, recruitment and religious councils had also moved to southern
Afghanistan. The statements could not be independently confirmed…Mujahid,
however, said Kabul officials were aware of the moves, prompted by battlefield
gains that the insurgents believed would put them in a strong position once
talks with the Afghan government aimed at ending the war were restarted.
Dialogue broke down earlier this year.”
The AP wrote, “The insurgents have spread their
footprint across Afghanistan since international combat troops scaled down in
2014. They have maintained multiple offensives and threatened at least three
provincial capitals in recent months: Kunduz, in northern Kunduz province;
Lashkah Gar, in Helmand in the south; and Tirin Kot in Uruzgan…the US military
has conceded the insurgents have gained ground, although definitive breakdowns
are difficult to verify. This year, Afghan security forces are believed to have
suffered their worst losses since 2001, with the military estimating 2016
fatalities at more than 5,000 so far.”
It added, “A permanent Taliban presence in
Afghanistan would send a message to followers and fighters that the insurgents
now control so much territory that they can no longer be dislodged by
government security forces, said Franz-Michael Mellbin, the European Union’s
ambassador in Kabul…but such a move could also be part of the Taliban’s attempt
to try to create a more independent position, as parts of the Taliban would
like to be under less direct pressure from Pakistan.”
The AP reported, “Ghani has failed to bring them
into a dialogue aimed at peace. After a year-long diplomatic offensive, Ghani
in late 2015 cut ties with Islamabad and has since openly accused Pakistan of
waging war on Afghanistan, using the Taliban as its proxy. Pakistani
authorities deny accusations that their powerful ISI intelligence agency
supports the insurgents…with the major councils based in Afghanistan.”
It said, “If the move is confirmed, it could
also indicate a unity among leaders, who have recently been portrayed by some
observers, including the US military, as suffering widening divisions and
struggling for cash—even though the opium production under their control has an
annual export value of $4 billion, according to the UN Office on Drugs and
Crime.”
The news agency mentioned, “The Taliban’s
leadership shura consists of 16 elected officials who oversee activity across
Afghanistan, give permission for any changes in planning and strategy, and
mediate disputes among military commanders…the military commanders include
Mullah Yaqoub, the son of the movement's founder, Mullah Mohammad Omar—who was
declared dead last year—and Sirajuddin Haqqani, leader of the brutal Haqqani
network and a co-deputy leader with Yaqoub…the Afghan Taliban are led by Mullah
Haibatullah Akhundzada, who took over after the death of Mullah Omar’s
successor, Akhtar Mansoor, in a US drone strike this year. High-ranking Taliban
officials say Haibatullah is not engaged in day-to-day decision-making. They
spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorised to talk to
reporters.”
The AP disclosed, “A senior Taliban commander,
Asad Afghan, told The Associated Press the move would consolidate the
insurgents’ military gains and help lay the ground for a dominant position if
and when peace talks resume…we are in the last stages of war and are moving
forward, said Afghan, who is closely involved in formulating the insurgents'
war strategy..we are the real government in Afghanistan, he said. The move
across the border would give the movement more focus at a time it needs to be
quick, clear and more secure about our decisions.”
However, almost all the terrorists or terrorist
groups and insurgency in Pakistan, especially Balochistan have their
connections in Afghanistan. The porous border between Pakistan and Afghanistan
is frequently used by human and drug traffickers, criminals and terrorists.
Their easy access through unguarded porous border provides opportunity to
miscreants to cause havoc inside Pakistan and Afghanistan. For effective
counter terrorism measures, strong border-control management is vital at
Pak-Afghan border. But, Afghan rulers are using delaying tactics in this
respect by rejecting Islamabad’s positive proposals.
Notably, as part of the dual strategy, based in
Afghanistan, American CIA, Indian RAW and Israeli Mossad are in connivance with
the Afghan intelligence agency, National Directorate of Security (NDS) and
other terrorist groups. Based in Afghanistan, operatives of these foreign
agencies who are well-penetrated in the terrorist outfits like Islamic State
group (Also known as Daesh, ISIS, ISIL), Tehreek-e-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) and
their affiliated Taliban groups are using their militants to destabilize
Tibetan regions of China, Iranian Sistan-Baluchistan and Pakistan’s Balochistan
by arranging the subversive activities. In this connection, the China-Pakistan
Economic Corridor (CPEC) is their special target. The militant groups have
conducted several terror attacks in various regions of Pakistan, especially the
recent ones in Balochistan province which has become center of the Great Game
owing to the ideal location of Balochistan.
There is no doubt that as part of the double
game of their countries, escalation of tension at Pak-Afghan border is
deliberately engineered by the elements such as CIA, RAW and Mossad which are
opposed to peace talks and improvement of bilateral relations between Pakistan
and Afghanistan. Hence, their countries always shift the blame game to
Pakistan.
Undoubtedly, Afghan peace and reconciliation
process is a reality, despite of its slow pace and continual interruptions. The
positive trajectory of constructive relations between Islamabad and Kabul
raised alarm-bells amongst the US-led adversaries who are attempting to affect
the progressive Pak-Afghan relations through smear and sinister scheming.
Although Taliban leaders have moved to Afghanistan from Pakistan,
yet especially America, India and puppet rulers of Afghanistan will continue
blame game against Islamabad, because, despite the prolonged war of more than
15 years, the US-led entities or NATO have failed in coping with the resistance
of those Taliban who are fighting for the liberation of their country.
America, India, Israel and some Western countries are also against
Pakistan, as the latter is the only nuclear country in the Islamic World.
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